Remember the corny picture in the early 70s Mets yearbook of Don "catching" a ball against the outfield wall?

David FFor me, the first thing that comes to mind about Don Hahn is him hitting an inside-the-park home run at Veterans Stadium while a member of the Mets-- it was the first time anyone had done that at the Vet.

LisaHow could anyone not mention that unbelievable collision with George Theodore? I was about 10 at the time and saw it on TV, I remember it like yesterday. The Stork got the worst of it, but Hahn was pretty shook up too. He was a great centerfielder and a Met I remember with fondness.

EG
March 17, 2001Pretty good centerfielder. Would have caught the balls that Mays didn't get to in the 73 World Series.

Eric Kaplan
April 29, 2001I always hated Hahn because he was the guy the Mets traded Ron Swoboda for. Swoboda will always be remembered as a Met hero, long after people will forget that Don Hahn ever existed........

Barry Wenig
July 13, 2001Always wondered how he feels about the Disney director/producer with the same name. In any case, Don was the first Met I remember to wear number 25, and for my money, every Met to wear number 25 since (be it Willie Montanez or Danny Heep or....) has been great!

Dave Olson
June 20, 2002I grew up playing ball (baseball, basketball and football) with Don when we all lived in the westside of the Santa Clara Valley. The Hahn family had four sons, three of which (as I understand it) ended up playing major league baseball (well, at least professional baseball). When Don attended Campbell High school he was pretty much a local "hood," but when it came time to put it on the field Don could always be counted on. Don graduated from Campbell High in 1966 (and along with Campbell High's Craig Morton of the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos) attained status as a professional athlete. I have often what Don has done with himself after "the pros" were done with him.

Rich Weksberg
June 26, 2002After Swoboda was traded for Don, I became a big Don Hahn fan. I remember him as an above average centerfielder who got the big triple in the World Series against the A's when they went up 3 games to 2. I still have an autographed Don Hahn photo which ranks fourth on my sports autograph list after Mantle, Namath and Chamberlain!

Metsmind
December 24, 2002Funny that Hahn and Montanez wore 25 as Mets, because Willie Montanez is the guy who missed Hahn's popup in Philly, resulting in an inside the park HR. The Astroturf was very new in Philadelphia, and the players hadn't learned to play the high hops yet. (May have been 1971.) Montanez was only a part time outfielder and he got too close to the ball, letting it bounce over his head.

Mr. Sparkle
January 3, 2003Talk about your light hitting outfielders. Don was pretty lame with the bat. He was a good fielder but couldn't hit. Too bad he didn't play shortstop.

I was at the game when he collided with the Stork. I remember him getting up after the collision, picking up the ball and then throwing it with his left hand. It went about 10 feet. At least that's how I remember it. It was a nasty collsion and he was luckier than Theodore on that one. Gotta give him credit for attempting to throw the ball in. I didn't dislike Hahn but he wasn't what you want in centerfield.

Etch 35
April 5, 2003Don Hahn is mentioned in a lyric of a rap song by the Ultramagnetic M.C.'s called "Two Brothers With Checks (San Francisco Harvey)". The rapper (Kool Keith) boasts in the song that he's "swingin like Don Hahn".

He also mentions Jerry Grote in the same song "step to plate, Yo Jerry Grote, Pause"

I know no one cares, but thats what I think of when I hear his name. Great memory, huh.

Skip
July 2, 2003I grew up loving the Mets in the early 70's. Just thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and see if any lasting mention existed of certain games I saw when I was a kid. Thank you, Lisa. I thought I was the only one in the world who remembered The Stork (George Theodore) and Don Hahn colliding in the outfield. It was on T.V. and, I swear...I remember it like it happened an hour ago. For you trivia fans...it was Ralph Garr of the Atlanta Braves who hit the ball, and he ended up with an inside-the-park homer on the play. Memories.....

Joe Figliola
July 3, 2003It's interesting that some of you referred to Don Hahn as a strong defensive player. I don't recall it. I thought he was average in center field. He didn't embarrass himself, but he wasn't Mookie Wilson or Tommie Agee. And I do have to say it was rather eventful when he turned on the power at the plate.

Although I did not see the collision on TV (I also was 10 at the time), I did see the photos of it and thought it was horrific. I'm surprised both he and Stork Theodore LIVED. Actually, I never even saw it on film of any kind. I think that, at age 40, I'm strong enough to see it now (that is, if I can find it).

Bob P
July 6, 2003Joe, good point. I'm a "few" years older than you (I was 19 in 1973) and I recall always hearing from the Mets' broadcasters at the time that Hahn was an outstanding defensive outfielder. I just looked up his stats and over the course of his career he was slightly below average in range factor, but the two years he was a semi-regular on the Mets ('73 and '74) his range factor was about 5-8% better than the league average.

So, mixed numbers, and we fail to reach a consensus! What likely happened is that the Mets tried to sell him as a great defensive outfielder because he was such a poor hitter. His batting average was .236 vs. a league average of .261; his OBP was 12 points below the average, and his slugging percentage was a paltry .303 vs. the league average of .384.

frank simmons
July 30, 2003The first game that I ever saw in person was Mets- Reds at Shea Stadium in June, 1974 when I was 9 years old. Don Hahn hit a two-run homer and the Mets won 4-1. I remember jumping up and down on my seat like the Mets had just won the World Series. So even though he doesn't rank up there in Mets history, that will always be something I'll remember.

Nishna
October 3, 2003One of the few games I went to as a kid, I saw Hahn go 4-for-4! How many people can say that? (Well, I mean besides the other 20,000 or so who were there that day.) That was a month's worth of hits for Hahn!

Bob P
October 10, 2003Nishna, That game took place on Monday night, August 27, 1973 at Shea. Actually, there were 14,789 other fans there plus you!

Hahn was batting seventh in the lineup that night. He had singles in the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings. The hit in the fourth inning drove in a run. Hahn finished the season with 60 hits.

Ralph Garr
May 16, 2004There was this girl we knew, that was such a big Don Hahn fan, that we all started to call her Hahn. Recently, I saw that her father had passed away, and in the death notice she was listed as 'Hahn'. That's a loyal fan.

Pete
November 22, 2004Maybe the worst picture ever taken for a baseball card. I think it was his '75 card, Don looks like he's about to sneeze.

DT
October 28, 2005My biggest memory is of what a great player Don was. My most accurate memory, however, is a quote that appeared in the NY Times during the 1973 NL playoffs. Reggie Jackson was asked who he (the A's) would rather face in the World Series. His response was the Reds with Bench, Rose et al. "...they have thunder. Who do the Mets have for thunder? Don Hahn?" Classic. Thanks for the memory Hondo.

DT
December 2, 2005My favorite Don Hahn memory was a quote in the NY Times during the 73 playoffs. Reggie Jackson on the A's expressed his preference to play the Reds in the World Series. His reasoning? The Reds have thunder... "Who do the Mets have for thunder? Don Hahn?" Classic. Thanks for the memories Don. You made this little boy think and dream big.

Jonathan Stern
February 24, 2006One of the greatest things about the Fall Classic is how larger-than-life any player can look by performing significantly in one. I remember, years ago, seeing the offical MLB film of the 1973 Series and thinking Hahn was some kind of star... then looking him up in the Baseball Encyclopedia and being shocked by how meager his overall career was.

Don Engbers
June 25, 2008I knew Don when we were both in the Giants organization. He was only 18 when I first meet him and I was very impressed with his defensive skills and I remember him being a really nice young man.

don kinzel
February 25, 2012When I moved from southern CA to northern CA as a freshman in high school, I moved in across the street from the Hahn family. Mr. and Mrs. Hahn became like parents to me and Don and I became fast friends, playing football and baseball together from Pony League on. Don has 3 brothers...Tom is Don's younger twin by 10 minutes, and then another set of twins, George and Gordy came later. A sister Nancy came between Don and Tom and George and Gordy. I always felt sorry for Nancy because she mostly kept to her room because there was always a bunch of high school morons (us) hanging around. Mr. Hahn coached us during summers and we had some pretty good teams. Don was a superb athlete in all sports mainly because he was mentally tough and didn't take crap from anyone. Before he hooked up with Montreal, he told me he faced Drysdale in spring training and hit him pretty hard...so Don went from the California League to the big leagues in one summer.

We had great coaching at Campbell High school...John Oldham and Gordon Huntze, and went undefeated in a good league in my senior year, Don's junior year.

When I can, I stop by Mr. and Mrs. Hahn's home in Campbell, CA. However, most times no one is home as everyone has gone hunting or fishing. Looking back, I have to say the best thing that ever happened to me was moving to northern CA and winding up across the street from the Hahns.

Don was just a regular guy who made it to the big leagues by working hard and believing in himself. So, to you haters, give Don some credit for wearing a big league uniform...he earned it.

Jim Brewer
January 4, 2013I was 10+ years old when the Mets played in the '73 series. Don had 7 hits in that series and made some great/not-so-great plays in the field. To his credit, the sun was bad in Oakland. My family want on a trip to Florida the following spring of '74 and we stayed with Don in a triplex on the beach with his kids/family. It was priceless as a youngster. I played catch with him on the beach, he signed multiple autographs, etc. It was the highlight of my youth. Nice guy.

pockmarx
January 4, 2013Two thoughts on Don Hahn. Bob Murphy once remarked near the end of the season that Don Hahn couldn't wait to get home to see his twin brother. My immediate thought was, "Why don't you just look in the mirror Don?"

Next thought is a bit more painful. Hahn's inclusion on the Mets roster was typical of the idiotic organizational thinking of the time that pitching and defense was all a team needed to win and that offense was irrelevant. Watching Willie Mays and Hahn do nothing with the bat in the 1973 World Series disgusted me. I was hoping at the time that the Mets would obtain Jim Ray Hart from the Giants instead of Mays and also pick up Matty Alou on waivers to play center.

Alou wasn't much of a centerfielder at the time but neither was Mays and Hahn's defense in center did not make up for his deader-than-dead bat. Who knows if an extra hit here or there would have made a major difference in the Series? The chances of Hart and Alou getting a big hit were better than Mays or Hahn.

Bill
September 6, 2013Lisa, Skip and Joe, I was 14 in 1973 and was watching the game with the Braves and saw that collision. I thought I just saw somebody die on the field. I am glad that nobody died but that was a very scary collision to see.

dale morehead
September 25, 2013I played with Don in Pony League as well as high school. Don's dad and my dad coached the Pony team. Don was a pitcher at the time. he had a good hook! I played the outfield. Don would come by my house to play stick ball. Police were called once by an old grouch. I went to juvy and Don went home. His dad had some pull. As I remember he wasn't the best hitter at the plate, but could sure pitch!

Phil W.
February 24, 2014I hit a home run off of Don Hahn in my only year of Pony League baseball in 1963. He was the starting pitcher and it was my first at bat of the season. I hit it to right field past Don's twin brother Tom Hahn. Don wasn't too happy nor was his father who was the coach of his team. It was the only hit I got all season!

Mike
November 28, 2014I remember Don Hahn being billed as the second coming of Willie Mays by M. Donald Grant and company. Perhaps he was, he did take the reins from a 40+ Mays.

Jim Snedeker
November 28, 2014I'm surprised no one's mentioned his great World Series catch. I don't remember which game it was, but he leapt at the wall to nab the ball in a critical situation. No joke--the broadcasters referred to it as "one of the great World Series catches of all time."

Jim Snedeker
November 28, 2014As I recall, my yearbook has that picture with a slightly different pose-- Hondo is actually looking up at his glove with the ball securely tucked inside. Man! How did the photographer get so close?!

Frank the Met
August 11, 2015Don Hahn was one of the great defensive centerfielders of his day. Because he was a below average offensive player, history records him as an obscure journeyman. But remember, he did get the key hit in Game 5 of the 1973 World Series, putting the Mets up 3 games to 2. Had the Mets won that World Series, Don Hahn would today be remembered as one of the great Met contributors, a legend in the sense similar to Al Weiss.